Soon Davy was sitting at the head table. Addie, Dylan, and Braden stood to one side and watched. After the meal a man stood and banged on a glass with a spoon. The room went silent as the man began to speak.
“Gentlemen. We are honored to have with us tonight the Honorable Congressman from Tennessee, David Crockett.”
Davy stood as the men in the room clapped. He raised his hand and the room became silent.
“Thank you, gentlemen. I want to thank you for a very nice evening. The show was good and the dinner was mighty fine. I have not met so many good men since I left Tennessee. I wish your party well in the coming elections. From what I have seen in Washington, we could use new leadership, and I think you can provide it. I will do what I can to help you. Together we can put the country back on the right path.”
The men clapped again as Davy sat down. The man sitting next to him stood up and raised his hand.
“Congressman Crockett, the Whig Party of Philadelphia has a gift for you.” He pulled a rifle from under the table. “We would like to present this rifle to you as a token of our respect for you.”
Davy stood and took the rifle. He looked at the barrel. On the end of the barrel were the words “Go Ahead.” He lifted the rifle and turned to the crowd of men who were now standing.
“Thank you very much. I appreciate this gift very much. You know, this rifle is so pretty that I think it should have a name. I think I will call it Betsy. And I tell you, I will keep her with me all the time. Thank you again.”
The men clapped again as Davy sat back down. The children smiled as they watched Davy shake hands with all the men in the room. Braden turned to Addie and Dylan.
“You know, I think Davy is going to need that rifle when the President hears about this.”
Chapter Twelve
The large room was unusually quiet. Members of Congress stood in small groups and whispered among themselves. Several of them looked up as the door opened and Davy walked to his desk. A few of the men nodded, but no one spoke to him. Davy sat down and looked at some papers. Addie, Dylan, and Braden sat in the balcony watching the men on the floor of the room. The Speaker of the House stood and pounded on his desk with a large gavel. The men sat at their desks and listened to the Speaker.
“Gentlemen. We have before us today a bill that is favored by the President. It is a bill that calls for the removal of certain Indian tribes from certain lands and moving them to other lands where they can make their homes. We will now open this matter to any discussion.”
Several members of Congress stood and spoke in favor of the bill. They were all friends of President Jackson. They hoped that by supporting the bill, they would receive support from the President in their upcoming elections. When all who supported the bill had spoken, the Speaker asked if anyone wished to talk against the bill. The men all looked around the room. Some members shuffled in their seats, but no one got up. Finally Davy rose slowly from his chair. The children listened as he spoke.
“I would like to say something about this,” he said. All the members of Congress watched him as he began to speak.
“I have not been a member of this Congress for as long as some of you. Since I have been here, I have watched with great interest the way that things are done. I have not always agreed with the way some bills were passed, but I accepted the fact that things work differently here than they do back home. But I cannot sit here and watch this bill get passed into law without speaking out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
Davy walked around in front of his desk. All eyes were on him.
“When I came here, I told the folks back home that I would do my best to represent them. I have tried to do that. I also told a tribe of Indians that I would do everything I could to help them keep their lands and their homes. I intend to do that. I gave them my word, and I gave them my hand. To me that is the most sacred thing a man can give. If a man’s word is no good, then the man is no good.
“The government of the United States gave its word to these same Indians. Now it wants to break its word to them. You must be able to trust the word of the government, just like you must be able to trust the word of a man. I say we must make the word of the government good and not pass this bill. We must not move these people from their homes. It is true that they cannot vote. But that does not mean they do not have rights as people. They have the right to live peacefully in their homes. For the government to break that peace is wrong. For you to vote to pass this bill is wrong. I ask you to do the right thing and vote to defeat this bill. If you do, you will feel a lot better about the man staring back at you in the mirror.”
Davy sat down. There was not a sound in the room. Finally the Speaker stood and called for a vote. Some members of Congress voted with Davy against the bill. However, most of the men voted for it, and the bill passed. Davy walked outside and found Addie, Dylan, and Braden waiting for him.
“What are you going to do now, Davy?” Braden asked.
Davy put his hand on Braden’s shoulder. “I am going home. I have to win an election.”
Several months later Davy and his friends sat in Davy’s cabin and listened to the sound of people cheering outside. The election was over, and Davy had lost. Dylan looked across the table at Davy.
“I am sorry you lost, Davy,” he said.
Davy smiled. “Well, that’s all right. To tell you the truth, I was getting tired of Washington. I never felt like I fit in there. I think it is time I moved on.”
“Where you moving to, Davy?” Addie asked.
“I have heard of this place where the hunting is good and the land is there for anyone who wants it. The climate is nice and the people are friendly. I think I will go check it out. Yes, I think I will go to Texas.”
Chapter Thirteen
The grass reached to the bellies of the horses as the small group of riders rode along. Davy was in front, followed by a few of his friends who had joined him for his trip to Texas. Addie, Dylan, and Braden rode in back of the others. It seemed to them that they had been riding forever. They had enjoyed the riverboat ride down the Mississippi River, but since they had crossed into Texas it seemed to them that the land never ended.
“I never realized how big Texas was,” Addie said.
Dylan stood up in his stirrups. “I never realized how hard a horse was. I won’t complain about riding in a car again.”
The day was warm, and the rhythm of the horses almost rocked the riders to sleep. Suddenly the ground began to shake. A loud rumble could be heard. A large cloud of dust appeared on the horizon. Soon a large brown mass came into view.
“What is that?” Braden asked.
Davy and his friends studied the oncoming mass. Suddenly Davy waved his cap and shouted.
“It’s buffalo. Come on. Let’s get some dinner for tonight.”
The men raced after the fast-moving herd. The three friends rode as fast as they could, but could not keep up with Davy. Soon the herd and the riders disappeared over a small hill. Addie and the others hurried to catch up. They heard some popping noises. The children realized that the men were shooting at the buffalo. They came to the top of the small hill and saw the last of the herd disappearing from sight. Davy and his friends were standing next to a buffalo. The children rode up to him.
“We will eat good tonight. There is nothing better than roast buffalo. That was the biggest herd I have ever seen. It seems that the stories about Texas are true. There is good hunting and plenty of land. It is getting late. Let’s set up camp here.”
Soon the men had the camp set up. The smell of roasting buffalo filled the air. It made the children hungry to smell the meat cooking.
As they were waiting for the meat to cook, several men rode up to the camp. Davy stood and went to greet them. “Howdy. My name’s Davy Crockett. Get down and rest. We will have dinner ready soon. You’re welcome to eat with us.”
The leader of the men shook his head. “Thank you. But we need to keep moving. We have a ways to go, and we are in a hurry.”
Davy walked over to the man. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“We are on our way to San Antonio. The Texas army is there. They are waiting for Santa Anna, the President of Mexico. They need more men.”
“This Santa Anna going to cause trouble?”
The man nodded. “He is bringing his army. The people of Texas want to be independent, but Santa Anna wants to keep us part of Mexico. There are not very many men there now. That is why we are in such a hurry. It is important that we stop Santa Anna before he gets to the settlements.”
Davy looked in the direction the men were traveling. “Where is San Antonio?”
“It’s a couple of days’ journey to the west. I am sure that the men there would be glad to have you join them.”
Davy shook his head. “Thank you, but we are just looking around. I hope you have a safe trip.”
The men waved to Davy and his friends and rode away. They watched the men ride off. One of Davy’s friends turned to him.
“What do you think about that, Davy? Looks like we might be riding into a big fight.”
Davy shook his head. “I don’t think so. San Antonio is a long way from here. We can just go on exploring and never come anywhere near the fight. Well, it looks like the meat is done. Let’s eat.”
That night Addie lay on her blanket looking up at the stars. She couldn’t remember them being so bright back in Eden Prairie. The moon was full, and Addie could see the horses clearly as they grazed on the tall grass. Davy was lying beside her. She could tell he was not asleep.
“Davy, what do you think about Texas so far?”
“Why, it is just about the prettiest place I have ever seen. I think it will make a good place to start a home.”
“What about the war?”
She could hear Davy sigh. “Well, Addie, I have been thinking about that. Sometimes it seems that if you want something, you might have to fight to keep others from taking it away from you. From what I have seen, Texas would be worth fighting for.”
“So you are thinking about going to San Antonio?”
“We will just keep riding and see where we end up. Now you better get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day.”
Chapter Fourteen
The days passed, and the group of riders saw a lot of pretty countryside. Yellow flowers covered the prairie like a carpet. Sometimes blue or red flowers joined the yellow ones to make the landscape look like a picture. The tall grass provided plenty of food for the horses, and the men were able to provide their food from the different types of game that roamed the plains.
The children enjoyed seeing Texas in this new way. Dylan shifted in his saddle and said, “I never realized how pretty the country could be. When you are driving seventy miles an hour down a paved road, it all looks different.”
“Sure does,” Braden agreed. “I wonder where Davy is going?”
“I don’t know,” Addie said. “We have been following this road for a couple of days. Some of the men said it goes to San Antonio.”
Dylan looked at Addie. “San Antonio. That’s where the enemy army is heading. I thought Davy didn’t want to go there.”
“I don’t know,” Addie said as she looked at a covey of quail that flew from the grass. “I am just guessing. If Davy thinks it is right to fight for Texas, then he will.”
Davy was riding in front of the group. He pulled his horse to a stop and looked at a small cabin nestled in a group of trees. Smoke was coming from the cabin, and several children were playing in front of it. Davy and the others rode up to the children and pulled their horses to a stop.
Davy smiled down at the oldest boy. “Howdy. My name’s David Crockett. I’m from Tennessee. My friends and I are exploring Texas. I wonder if your folks are at home so I could visit with them.”
The boy looked up at Davy. He glanced at the other men. “My pa’s gone. My ma’s here. Wait and I will go get her.”
The boy disappeared into the house. Shortly he came back leading a woman by the hand. He stopped in front of Davy.
“Ma, this is Mr. Crockett from Tennessee. He and his friends are exploring the country. He wants to talk to you.”
The woman stared straight ahead. As Davy looked at her, he realized that she was blind. He got down from his horse and walked to her.
“Howdy, ma’am. David Crockett. These are my friends. I was wanting to ask some questions about the country around here.”
The woman held out her hand. “I have heard of you, Mr. Crockett. Have you by chance seen my husband? His name is Isaac Millsaps. He left some time ago to go to San Antonio.”
Davy shook his head. “No, ma’am. I haven’t seen your husband. But we haven’t been to San Antonio. We have come from the East.”
Mrs. Millsaps smiled. “I will be happy to talk to you. I don’t know that I can be of any help. Won’t you and your friends get down and join us for supper? I am sure we can put something together for you.”
“We would enjoy eating with you. Don’t worry about food. Hunting has been good. Texas is loaded with game. We have plenty of meat to share with you and your family.”
After supper, Davy and Mrs. Millsaps sat outside the cabin. The children sat nearby listening. Davy looked at the clear, star-filled sky.
“You said your husband went to San Antonio. Did he go to join the army there?”
“Yes. He and several neighbors went together. A messenger came through one day saying the army needed men. Isaac and the others felt they should go do their part to protect our home. The night before he left, we sat right here and talked. We talked about the old days in Mississippi. We talked about how much we liked it in Texas. We have made a new start here. It is our home now.”
“Yes, ma’am. From what I have seen, Texas is a real pretty place. A nice place to make a home.”
“Isaac and me used to sit out here and he would describe the country. The flowers, the wildlife, and the sunsets. I wish I could see them, but when he described them to me, it was like I could see them, and they were beautiful. Mr. Crockett, if you do happen to see my husband, would you give him a message from me?”